Thursday, January 31, 2013

UK Roku Official Channels - News, Weather, Sport Genre

So, here we are again... continuing the epic saga (in the making) that is Roku in the UK.

Today we embark on our third voyage of discovery, in our quest to reveal the names of all the currently available channels from the "Official" Roku Channel Store in the UK. As promised in my last post, the genre coming under scrutiny this time falls within the "News, Weather, Sport" category and is comprised of the one hundred and fifty-three channels outlined below:-

PLEASE NOTE:- This information was last updated on Sunday 24th May 2015 with all channel details accurate as of Saturday 23rd May 2015. Therefore, when viewing this list... you should ignore the original date of the post and, instead, refer to this section for precise details on when the "News, Weather, Sport" category listing was compiled.

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This brings the total number of channels listed (so far) to 500, from a total of 1,669 in the store, meaning we're now well over one quarter of the way through our task of listing every channel in the channel store. Hopefully, by now, you have seen plenty to whet your appetite and are perhaps even tempted to join the Roku UK revolution, if you haven't already done so. If not, then stay tuned for the next installment in this series, when I reveal details of yet another channel store category for you.

"What's that?", I hear you ask.

Well, according to my notes, the next genre to benefit from an itemised listing will be "Music", which includes no less than one hundred and eight channels of audio delight for your listening pleasure !!

It's a collection of both the obvious and the less obvious but does include both USB media players and a Squeezebox client, as well as an assortment of radio players and even a karaoke channel or two...

So, if any of that tickles your fancy then be sure to come back soon for the full lowdown.

9 comments:

Hi. Great blog, like it very much.Question: USTVnow has disappeared from the Now by Sky box due to, we are told, copyright issues. USTVnow tells me I can still get it via Roku in the UK. I have signed up to a subscription for my wife (US born) so would like to know if this is correct before I go and purchase a Roku box. Otherwise I shall just cancel the $29/month sub.ThanksStephen Northdale

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to leave a comment. It's much appreciated. I'm also glad that you like the blog! :-)

You are correct about the 'USTV Now' channel being removed from the Roku Channel Store on the NowTV Box [Powered by Sky] although I am not 100% certain as to the exact reason(s) for this.

Although USTV Now have told you that you can still get their channel through UK Roku players, I should (perhaps) point out that you will no longer find it in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. That is because, as with the NowTV Box, the channel is no longer a "Public Channel" (perhaps for the same reason you mentioned) and, for the time being, can only be added to UK Roku players as a "Private Channel" using ACCESS CODE: ustvnow

This can only be done via your online Roku Account and NOT on the Roku player itself. If you wanted to, you could always sign-up for a Roku Account BEFORE you purchase your Roku player and see for yourself that the channel is available. Essentially, there is an option under 'Manage Account' which says "Add a Private Channel" that allows you to "Enter an invitation code to add a private or beta channel to your account". All you need to do is click on the link to "Add a Private Channel" and you will be redirected to a page headed 'Add Channel', which has a text entry box, where you can "Enter a channel access code to add a public channel, a private channel or a beta channel to your Roku account". From there, you just need to type in the ACCESS CODE and then click on the "Add Channel" button underneath. This will take you to a confirmation screen where (provided it is still available) you will see the 'USTV Now' channel icon plus it's current user rating, pricing information, age restrictions & other details. You will be asked to confirm that you wish to "Add USTVNow to your Roku account?" by clicking on the large blue button underneath the channel details which says, "Yes, Add Channel". Once you have confirmed this, the channel will be added to your individual list of channels that will be shown on the 'Home Screen' of any Roku player which is linked to your Roku Account. You will find them listed under "My Channels" and can easily navigate though them to find & launch 'USTV Now'.

If, for some reason, the channel is NO LONGER AVAILABLE then you will get another message like, "We're sorry. This channel is not available in your area", or perhaps, "The channel code provided is not associated with a valid channel" but, in any event, if you don't see the 'USTV Now' channel icon and the option "Yes, Add Channel" then you'll know it's not available.

In general, it's not a bad idea to set up your Roku Account ahead of time anyway, because it will save you some time during the setup process once you've purchased your Roku player & begun installing it. So, even if you didn't want to add the 'USTV Now' channel just yet, I'd recommend doing so if you ARE going to purchase a Roku box.

In conclusion, it seems like GOOD NEWS for you (overall) since there's no need to cancel your 'USTV Now' subscription just yet and (unless the situation changes) it looks like you'll be able to watch the channel in the UK via your new Rolku player (FYI: I recommend the Roku 3 above all others).

Anyway, I hope that's answered your question and (hopefully) given you some idea as to what will be involved but, if you're stuck on any aspect, feel free to leave another comment on the blog or via the companion Twitter Feed.

Good luck and, if I'm not being a bit too previous, enjoy your new Roku !!

According to my wife Kim, you are Batman/Superman/Captain America/Spiderman all rolled into one (She watches a lot of Big Bang Theory) We had to buy a Roku box "blind" as no stores here could advise whether or not we could add UStvnow, but we bought it, set it up, added the channel just as you described and, hey presto! we now have USTV back and peace will reign at Christmas. Many many thanks!

As to the question of watching 'CNN' on Roku players, the short answer is "Yes", BUT... THERE ARE LIMITATIONS and you will first need to install a private channel, called "Nowhere News", which was developed by a guy who goes by the name of 'Nowhereman'. You will find the necessary ACCESS CODE to 'Install' it (along with several other noteworthy Roku channels) by navigating to the following web address:-

http://www.thenowhereman.com/roku

If you then scroll about two thirds of the way down the page you'll see the 'Nowhere News' channel listed, offering "Video from CNN", and you can then click on the word "Install" (below that) which will redirect you to the Roku website so that you can log-in to your online Roku Account and add 'Nowhere News' to the channel selection on your Roku player(s).

Having installed 'Nowhere News', you can then find it on your Roku player(s) where it will have been added to the list of "My Channels" (at the very end) and click "OK" on your remote to launch it & commence viewing. Among the various options in the sub-menu of the channel are numerous "on demand" videos as well as a LIVE FEED of 'CNN International' which can be streamed on your Roku player(s) as and when you choose.

As to the question of watching 'Sky Go' on Roku 3, the short answer is "No", BUT... THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES for watching content provided by Sky on your Roku player(s), no matter which model you happen to own.

Unfortunately Sky have yet to develop a 'Sky Go' app for Roku players although I'm sure that, if they did, it would prove VERY POPULAR with both UK Roku owners and NowTV Box owners who also subscribe to the 'Sky Go' service. Maybe it will happen one day but, for now, your only option for watching Sky content on Roku is via the 'NowTV', 'Sky News' and 'Sky Store' channels (or "apps", if you prefer).

Whilst 'Sky News' is FREE-TO-ADD plus FREE-TO-VIEW on Roku players, and 'Sky Store' offers a PAY-PER-VIEW service for watching the very latest movies, ALL OTHER CONTENT offered via the 'NowTV' channel on Roku players REQUIRES A PAYMENT in order TO VIEW IT once any free trials or other introductory offers have expired.

Depending on what you wish to watch, the following options are available:-

ENTERTAINMENT MONTH PASS for £4.99 PER MONTH gives you access to twelve of the most popular entertainment channels from Sky, via NowTV. The included channels, for your monthly premium, are:

These channels allow you to watch some of the UK's best TV shows, including several that you won't find on Freeview, with a single upfront payment and NO CONTRACT plus the ability to CANCEL ANYTIME !! For that, you'll get the chance to watch whole series from the beginning PLUS you can CATCH-UP on missed episodes that were aired upto 30 days previously. There's also the option to register upto 4 devices with the ability to watch on any two of those at the same time.

SKY MOVIES MONTH PASS for £8.99 PER MONTH gives you access to OVER 800 MOVIES to watch ON-DEMAND as well as unlimited access to watch all those movies you may have missed at the cinema in recent years.

As well as the latest movies, you can also browse over twenty themed collections, all handpicked to help you discover even more amazing films.PLUS there's the ADDED BONUS that you can ACCESS LIVE FEEDS for all of the different Sky Movie Channels, including 'Sky Premiere', and take advantage of viewing any of the (upto) sixteen premieres added every month!

Aside from the "on-demand" content, the LIVE MOVIE CHANNELS included with your monthly premium are:

As with the 'Entertainment Month Pass' there's NO CONTRACT plus the ability to CANCEL ANYTIME !! Likewise, again there's the option to register upto 4 devices with the ability to watch on any two of those at the same time.

SKY SPORTS WEEK PASS for £10.99 PER WEEK, which will be rising to £14.99 PER WEEK by the end of November, gives you access to EVERY CHANNEL offered by 'Sky Sports' which brings Football, Formula 1, Cricket, Golf, Tennis and many other sports to your screen CONTRACT-FREE !!

There's also a "Limited Time Offer" for a 'Sky Sports Day Pass', at a cost of £6.99 PER DAY (previously £9.99 per day, COUGH!), if you just want to watch an event on a specific day rather than pay for a whole week. That said, for the sake of four quid, you're probably better off getting the 'Sky Sports Week Pass' anyway as you might find there's something else on during that time which you may otherwise have missed. Either way, you're still going to be paying A LOT MORE than Sky subscribers are asked to, for exactly the same content... and they get better quality pictures, despite paying a lot less!

For me, the DRASTIC OVERPRICING of the sports passes makes them the least attractive of the selection offered by Sky, through NowTV but the choice is there if you absolutely have to have it. That being the case, the channels included with your daily / weekly premium are:

Granted, whichever one(s) you opt for, it's still going to require an extra payment on top of your Sky / Sky Go premium to gain access to Sky content via your Roku ('Sky News' being the one obvious exception, as it's free-to-view). Also... the channels included, and the prices quoted, in this reply (whilst correct at the time of publishing) are SUBJECT TO CHANGE at any time by Sky / NowTV and (for future reference) will not be updated here!

/CONTINUED...MOVING ON... to the topic of HIGH DEFINITION, or 'HD' as you put it, the Roku 3 only has two options for 'Display Type' and they are 720P or 1080P, both of which are output via the single HDMI port on the rear of the Roku. This means that, in order to connect a Roku 3 device to it, your television must also have an HDMI input.

Unfortunately, unlike some other Roku models, the Roku 3 does not feature an 'Composite AV' output connection. So, if your television does not have an HDMI input port to which your Roku 3 can be connected via an HDMI cable, then you will need to exchange / replace your Roku 3 with a different model.

My personal recommendation, should you require a 'Composite AV' (Red / White / Yellow) connection, would be to go for a Roku 2 XS (the former UK Roku flagship model) as it has many of the features of the Roku 3 and can (currently) be purchased for around half the price (i.e. fifty to sixty pounds). HINT: if you keep your eye on the Amazon UK website, the price can sometimes drop into the forty pound region, which is a real bargain !! Failing that... the Roku LT, while limited in terms of features (and WiFi only), as well as the newer Roku 1 and Roku 2 models (again WiFi only), offer both HDMI and Composite AV outputs if you'd prefer (or need) one of those.

If you do purchase one of the Roku models with an 'Composite AV' output, and connect it to your television via that method, you will see that the two options for 'Display Type' on your Roku are '4:3' or '16:9', instead of the 'HD' options listed for the HDMI connection on your Roku 3.

EITHER WAY... if the individual Roku channel you are streaming delivers content that you are unable to stream (because your broadband speed is too slow), no matter which broadband provider you are with, there are ways to address this issue via Roku Customer Support. That said, if you are using either a Roku 3, or Roku 2 XS, with a WIRED CONNECTION then you should have very few problems. Most streaming / buffering issues with Roku players come about when using a WIRELESS CONNECTION where interference can play a big part in the problem. My advice is to (always) opt for a wired connection, where possible, even if it means investing another fifteen quid or so for some powerlline adapters, such as these:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00620CZ64

Similar products are available, made by TP-Link or Devolo, at varying price-points but all do a great job of using the existing electrical wiring in your home to create a wired network via the electrical sockets that will be far more reliable than a wireless connection to an ethernet-capable Roku player such as the Roku 2 XS and/or the Roku 3. Just bear in mind that none of the other UK Roku models (i.e. Roku LT, Roku 1, Roku 2) are able to offer a wired connection so, if you opt for one of those for it's 'Composite AV' output, you won't be able to add the powerline adapters I suggested.

Anyway, I hope that has answered your questions satisfactorily. If not, then feel free to leave another comment / reply below.